Easton council defeats proposal to eliminate health benefits for its members

Thursday, January 29, 2009

By EDWARD SIEGER

The Express-Times

EASTON | City Councilman Jeff Warren found only one ally
Wednesday as he tried to eliminate medical and pension
benefits for him and his colleagues.

Warren and Councilman Roger Ruggles voted to eliminate
benefits for the six elected council members. The mayor
would not have been affected.

Council members Ken Brown, Pam Panto, Sandra Vulcano and
Elinor Warner and Mayor Sal Panto Jr. voted against the
measure. Before council voted down Warner's motion, he
tried to amend it to include the city controller.

That, too, went down in a 5-2 vote.

Warner has been trying to keep an election promise to
eliminate council benefits. When he introduced the action
two weeks ago, Warren said eliminating benefits is simply
"the right thing to do."

In supporting Warren, Ruggles said he was concerned
part-time city employees did not receive benefits while
part-time elected officials did. He considered it a matter
of fairness.

But Councilwoman Pam Panto said it's wrong to compare
the two because part-time employees are paid an hourly wage.

"If you look at the number of hours we put into the
job, we probably earn 50 cents an hour," she said.

People don't run for office for high salaries or good
benefits, Ruggles said. If medical benefits are the driving
force for someone seeking public office, he doesn't
want that person to serve, he said.

The mayor said he wouldn't support the measure because
despite the city charter classifying council members as
part-time employees, they maintain a full-time schedule.
It's difficult to deny council members a benefit the
city can't even quantify, Sal Panto said.

The city is self-insured and pays claims, not premiums.

"I feel very few people are dumb enough, like me, to
leave the private sector to run for office," Sal Panto
said.

Reporter Edward Sieger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at esieger@express-times.com....